Finding oil spots under a parked vehicle can be both worrying and stressful for any vehicle owner. If the seal’s leak is small, oil may start to accumulate on the underside of the engine. But as the leak gets bigger, the oil leak will become visible in the front side of the engine.
If these specific tools aren’t available, it’s entirely possible to correctly seat an oil seal in its housing using a hammer. Ideally, this hammer will be plastic or rubber due to it’s more forgiving nature. Using this and a strike plate that covers the entire seal will lend you accuracy while driving it in. The downside to this method is the inability to drive the seal any further than the strike plate will allow.
The basic principle of sealing is straightforward – the flexible lip is held against the rotating part (usually the shaft) whilst the casing (or O.D.) is pressed into the housing or bore and holds the seal in place. The sealing lip needs some form of lubrication to avoid overheating and is usually energized by means of a garter spring.
Oil seals, also known as rotary shaft seals, are designed to prevent oil leaks in rotating machinery by sealing the gap between a rotating shaft and a stationary housing. Proper installation of oil seals is essential to ensure a leak-free performance, which in turn helps to extend the life of the machinery. In this article, we will go over the steps for installing oil seals correctly.
Types Of Motor Oil
The most important function of an oil seal is to protect all types of sleeves, roller bearings, and balls located in the rotary shafts. These seals also prevent two fluids from mixing, such as water and oil.